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Africans In The EPL: Yaya Toure Scores As Ighalo Loses First Game In 2016

Late goals from Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero helped Manchester City to a potentially-crucial victory as they recovered from 1-0 down to...

Late goals from Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero helped
Manchester City to a potentially-crucial victory as they recovered from 1-0
down to beat Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road.

On an afternoon when wins for rivals Arsenal and Manchester
United made a positive result even more crucial, Aleksandar Kolarov’s own goal
on 55 minutes appeared to have given Watford their latest win.

However, Yaya Toure (81) and Sergio Aguero (85) rescued City
with two fine goals in the final 10 minutes to keep third-placed City within three
points of leaders Arsenal.

As early as the second minute Deeney showed his confidence
with a run that led to Almen Abdi sending a promising 25-yard shot both high
and wide, and shortly after Ighalo first encountered the £32million Otamendi.

Ighalo challenges for the ball against City's Otamendi

In this instance the Argentinian defender impressed when,
with Ighalo in space in the area following Abdi’s through-ball, he read the
striker’s shot to lunge and deflect it out for a corner.

Ighalo swiftly threatened, again having been played in by
Abdi – but when he produced a nice turn to beat Otamendi, City goalkeeper Joe
Hart reacted to rush out, dive, and smother his shot clear.

Taking an inswinging corner from the left, Ben Watson’s
accurate delivery troubled City’s defence, evading everyone except for Kolarov,
whose header served to help it into the back of the net. It was recorded as an
own goal, even if it was already going in, and again highlighted the damage
caused by the absence of City’s authoritative captain, Vincent Kompany.

Toure, so often decisive, soon struck beyond the crossbar
from the edge of the area, and Kevin De Bruyne forced a routine save from Gomes
– but Watford’s discipline meant only a moment of quality looked likely to
rescue them, and so it ultimately proved.

Yaya Toure volleyed in City's equaliser

The midfielder has this season occasionally looked in
decline, but when Kolarov sent in an 82nd-minute corner from the left, Toure
casually and in a classic maner volleyed into the top left corner to equalise.

Their winning goal came just two minutes later. From space
on the right wing, Bacary Sagna curled a superb cross towards Aguero, and under
little pressure the forward headed beyond Gomes and into the back of the net,
improving City’s title prospects in the process.